Property of: IDEAL LIFE INC
®
White Paper: Hypertension
All rights reserved. IDEAL LIFE is a registered trademark in the United States for weight scales, blood glucose meters,
blood pressure cuffs and meters, heart monitors. IDEAL LIFE BODY MANAGER, IDEAL LIFE BP MANAGER, IDEAL
LIFE GLUCO MANAGER, IDEAL LIFE POD, REALIZING THE VISION OF A BETTER TOMORROW, Leveraging the
Power of Communication, Real time health and wellness information on demand, wireless remote health and wellness
management, and Solutions for better healthcare through advanced communication technology are all proprietary
trademarks of IDEAL LIFE INC. Contents are covered by one issued U.S. patent and one or more U.S. patents pending.
The information disclosed in this document is confidential and proprietary information of IDEAL LIFE INC. The information
is being provided on the assumption that it will be treated confidentially and for the sole purpose of informing clinical
professionals of suggested care practices present in public literature. The information should not be used as care practice
guidelines and health care professionals should use their own professional judgment when treating patients.
Property of: IDEAL LIFE INC
Hypertension
Growing Problem -73 million Americans have high blood pressure (defined as an
individual: with systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or greater and/or diastolic pressure of 90
mmHg or greater, taking antihypertensive medication, or being told at least twice as
having high blood pressure by a physician or other healthcare professional). Nearly one
in three U.S. adults has hypertension. About 69% of people who have a first heart attack,
77% who have a first stroke, and 74% with heart failure have blood pressure higher than
140/90 mmHg1.
Consequence - Among those individuals with hypertension age 18 and older, 71.8% are
aware of their condition, and 61.4% are currently undergoing treatment. However, just
35.1% have their blood pressure under control while 64.9% do not. This large gap
continues despite the facts that more than 90% of adults with hypertension have health
insurance, and hypertension is the leading cause of visits to the doctor. If blood pressure
control could be improved, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality would decrease
significantly2.
Cost - The estimated direct and indirect cost of high blood pressure for 2008 is $69.4
billion. This is probably an underestimation because of the costs of coronary heart
disease ($156.4 billion), Stroke ($65.5 billion) and heart failure ($34.8 billion) all having
a high association with hypertension3. Approximately 12.8% of all deaths (7.1 million)
and 4.4% of all disability life-years lost (64.3 million) in the year 2000 were due to
cardiovascular disease (CVD) attributable to uncontrolled Blood Pressure (BP).
Opportunity - Controlled blood pressure has been associated with a 35-40% mean
reduction in stroke incidence, 20-25% mean reduction in myocardial infarctions and more
than 50% reduction in heart failure. An increase in 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg
diastolic blood pressures doubles the risk of cardiovascular disease. A 12 mmHg
decrease in stage 1 hypertensive patients with cardiovascular risk factors will prevent 1
death in every 11 treated patients over 10 years and in patients with cardiovascular
disease and /or target organ damage 1 death in every 9 patients will be prevented4.
The use of home blood pressure monitoring is recommended by several national and
international guidelines for the management of hypertension, including The American
Heart Association, The American Society of Hypertension, The Canadian Hypertension
Society, The European Society of Hypertension, The British Hypertension Society, The
European Society of Hypertension, The Japanese Hypertension Society, the World Health
Organization-International Society of Hypertension, and JNC 7 which is the generally
accepted guideline for the United States5.
The IDEAL LIFE Solution™ - The IDEAL LIFE Hypertension program has been
successfully tested to optimize at-home treatment. Through the use of a wireless enabled
blood pressure device, combined with the remote IDEAL LIFE information management
platform™ a patient’s blood pressure and heart rate are immediately communicated
remotely to the hypertension automatic data analysis engine. Within seconds of taking a
Property of: IDEAL LIFE INC
blood pressure and heart rate measurement, information is logged and analyzed, and
when appropriate, alerts generated and communicated. This allows for timely adjustment
of treatment and proper management of the chronic condition.
IDEAL LIFE Results - In an analysis of 904 patients using real-time readings on the
hypertension management program for a period of six months, the average reduction of
systolic blood pressure was 9 mmHg, from 147 mmHg to 138 mmHg. The largest
reduction seen on any one patient was 77 mmHg, from 221 to 144. 48% of the patients
had a greater than 10 mmHg reduction in their average systolic blood pressure (SBP).
61% of the patients had a greater than 5 mm Hg in their SBP.
Before entering the program, 42% of patients had an average systolic blood pressure of
≥150 mmHg. These patients experienced an average reduction of 19 mmHg, from an
average of 162 mmHg to an average of 143 mmHg. 21% of patients had an average
systolic blood pressure of ≥160 mmHg. These patients experienced an average reduction
of 26 mmHg, from an average of 171 mmHg to an average of 145 mmHg. 42% of
patients experienced a ≥12 mmHg drop in their average systolic blood pressure, from an
average of 158 mmHg to an average of 134 mmHg.
IDEAL LIFE Hypertension program after six months of 904
patients
180
170
160
Baseline SBP
150
6 months SBP
140
130
120
110
100
Total
Patients
Patients
Patients
population150 mmHg160 mmHg12 mmHg
drop
These decreases in blood pressure are very significant because controlled blood pressure
has been associated with a 35-40% mean reduction in stroke incidence, 20-25% mean
reduction in myocardial infarctions and more than 50% reduction in heart failure. A 12
Property of: IDEAL LIFE INC
mmHg drop in average systolic blood pressure will save one life in every 11 treated
patients over ten years6, in the 904 patient population almost 40 lives would be saved.
The IDEAL LIFE solution™ has displayed through remote monitoring and timely
interventions the opportunity to save lives and decrease serious complications which will
allow patients to live longer and healthier lives.
The phenomenon of reporting bias is another important aspect that the IDEAL LIFE
System overcomes. Home BP monitoring has shown to be a better predictor of morbidity
than office BP readings, although traditionally, home readings have the problem of
reporting bias. The phenomenon of reporting bias occurs when patients do not accurately
report their BP readings. A possible explanation for the reporting bias is some patients
lower their BP readings to avoid additional antihypertensive medication and some report
higher readings to emphasize the severity of their hypertension7. IDEAL LIFE avoids
this bias, among others, by automatically communicating the data when a measurement
reading is taken, remotely updating the patient’s record independently of the patient.
Another issue of concern includes possible misdiagnoses when using unreliable office
readings as the sole tool of assessment. Known as the white coat effect, patients in the
community can experience a high office blood pressure in the physician office with
normal home blood pressure. A substantial proportion of patients receiving
antihypertensive medication are being over treated due to this phenomenon8. The IDEAL
LIFE System allows the treating clinician to receive the home blood pressure information
in a easy fashion to overcome potential concerns of misdiagnoses related to unreliable
office readings.
The case studies below illustrate a few examples of the above noted issues concerning
current usual care practices. An example of the white coat effect is an 80 year old man
with office systolic blood pressure readings above 150 mmHg and 160 mmHg. His PCP
doubled the patient’s dose of nifedipine. The patient continued monitoring on the IDEAL
LIFE system and BP readings below 100/60 mmHg were discovered. The patient was
experiencing hypotensive symptoms as well. The patient’s dose was lowered and his
hypertension was brought under control.
Another case study demonstrating the concern of using unreliable office readings as the
sole tool of assessment relates to masked hypertension or reverse white coat effect, and
was observed in a female patient on the IDEAL LIFE system at 79 years of age. She had
a history of multiple mini strokes yet was reported to have consistently normal office
blood pressure readings. After initiating home blood pressure monitoring on IDEAL
LIFE it was identified that her home blood pressure readings ranged from 180/100
mmHg to 220/140 mmHg. The patient was instantly identified as hypertensive and a
change in drug therapy was initiated which subsequently allowed the patient to achieve
goal BP.
A case study of a 90 year old female patient, demonstrated the possible adjustments that
can be undertaken to prevent an adverse event and a possible hospitalization. The patient
was on antibiotics for a GI infection, had complaints of diarrhea, excessive urination,
Property of: IDEAL LIFE INC
severe dizziness, and weakness. The blood pressure trend showed a decline on the
IDEAL LIFE system, in response the patient was contacted. It was discovered the patient
was still taking a diuretic that she had previously been told to discontinue. The patient’s
medications were adjusted and a hypotensive event and possible dehydration were
reversed and prevented.
Hypertension is a risk factor for heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. Patients
achieving target blood pressure can prevent many of these devastating and costly
diseases. It has been shown through the proper use of medication these complications
can be prevented9. Using reliable at home health information can assist patients achieve
long term management of their chronic conditions. IDEAL LIFE is a proven solution
that delivers home health information through a cost effective and easy to use platform,
that helps modify treatment to achieve reductions in morbidity and mortality.
1
American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2008 Update. Dallas, Texas:
American HeartAssociation; 2008. ©2008, American Heart Association
2
B.B. Green et al. Electronic Communications and Home Blood Pressure Monitoring
(e-BP) study: Design, delivery, and evaluation framework, Contemporary Clinical Trials 29
(2008) 376-395
3
American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics — 2008 Update. Dallas, Texas:
American HeartAssociation; 2008. ©2008, American Heart Association
4
A. W. Chobanian et al. The seventh report of the joint national committee on prevention,
detection, evaluation, and treatment of High Blood pressure. JAMA, May 21, 2003, Vol. 289, No. 19
5
Pickering et al AHA/ASH/PCNA Call to Action on Home BP Monitoring Hypertension published
online May 22, 2008
6
A. W. Chobanian et al. The seventh report of the joint national committee on prevention,
detection, evaluation, and treatment of High Blood pressure. JAMA, May 21, 2003, Vol. 289, No. 19
7
M.G. Myers. Reporting bias in self-monitoring of blood pressure. Blood Pressure Monitoring.
2001, 6:181-183
8
M.G. Myers et. al. Overtreatment of Hypertension in the Community? American Journal of
Hypertension. May 1996, 9:419-425
9
F.H.H. Leenan et. al. Results of the Ontario Survey on the Prevalence and Control of
Hypertension. Canadian Medical Association Journal. May 2008, 178 (11)